YouTube drives Jimmy Kimmel return amid ABC affiliate blackout

TL;DR:

• Disney brought Jimmy Kimmel Live! back on Sept. 23, 2025.
  
• Nexstar and Sinclair kept preemptions, blocking the show in many U.S. markets.
  
• Kimmel’s opening monologue hit millions of YouTube views within hours.
  
• Viewers can watch clips on the official YouTube channel even where TV is blacked out.
  
• Kimmel broke social silence with a Norman Lear tribute before the return.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! returned to air on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, after Disney paused the show for nearly a week. The TV comeback was partial. Many viewers still could not watch on local ABC. The full return played out on YouTube, where Kimmel’s opening monologue spread fast.

What happened, when, and where

Disney said the show would resume on September 23. Hours before taping, Kimmel posted a quiet tribute to TV legend Norman Lear on Instagram, ending his public silence since the suspension. That set the stage for a high interest return.

The TV broadcast did not reach every home. Two large station groups, Nexstar and Sinclair, announced they would keep preemptions in place. That choice affected major markets including Portland, Seattle, Nashville, New Orleans, Richmond, and Salt Lake City.

YouTube carried the moment

ABC and Disney uploaded Kimmel’s return monologue to the show’s official YouTube channel the same night. By Wednesday morning, September 24, the clip had millions of views and tens of thousands of comments. Many commenters said their ABC affiliate had blocked the show, so they watched on YouTube instead.

For viewers in blocked markets, YouTube became the simplest path. Nexstar itself said the program would remain available on Disney’s streaming products nationwide, but the most frictionless option was the public YouTube upload.

Quick ways to watch Kimmel online

• Go to the official Jimmy Kimmel Live channel on YouTube, then open the newest monologue and guest clips. New segments are posted shortly after broadcast.
  
• If you use a TV device, search “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in the YouTube app and sort by Upload Date.
  
• If ABC is blacked out on your local station, check Disney’s owned streaming options as a backup.
  

Why many ABC stations stayed dark

Nexstar and Sinclair control about a quarter of ABC affiliates. Both said they would replace Kimmel’s timeslot with local news or other programming while they “evaluate” a return. Their stance continued even after Disney lifted the suspension.

At the market level, that meant a patchwork map. Whole cities lost the live broadcast even as social feeds filled with clips minutes later. Viewers in those areas were pointed online, where the monologue was freely available.

Markets widely reported as affected

Source: affiliate notices summarized in reporting by The Verge and Entertainment Weekly.

What Kimmel said on night one

The return monologue addressed the events that led to the hiatus and touched on free speech. The tone was more reflective than combative, and it landed with a large online audience first. Fast Company reported the clip hit about seven million YouTube views within hours on September 24.

How this affects viewers

If your ABC station still preempts Kimmel, the path forward is simple. Use YouTube for the monologue and guest segments. If you want the full episode, check Disney’s streaming properties in your region. Expect YouTube uploads to remain the fastest, most consistent option while affiliates decide their next steps.

Checklist: Watching Jimmy Kimmel Live without local ABC

• Search “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on YouTube.
  
• Sort by newest to find the latest monologue.
  
• Subscribe to the channel for alerts.
  
• If you want full episodes, check Disney’s apps where available.
  

What happens next

Station groups said they will monitor the program. Any change will likely roll out city by city. In the meantime, YouTube will continue to be the broadest window into Kimmel’s nightly show. We will also watch for any updates from Disney, Nexstar, or Sinclair on carriage.

Why it matters

This story shows how quickly control shifts when TV carriage gets messy. Affiliates can block a broadcast. Platforms cannot block a public upload as easily. For viewers, YouTube is now the default backup for late night clips. The audience followed the path of least resistance and found the show online first.

Sources:

• The Verge, “Jimmy Kimmel still isn’t coming back to many ABC stations in the US,” https://www.theverge.com/news/783902/jimmy-kimmel-abc-nexstar-sinclair-broadcasting, published September 23, 2025.
  
• Entertainment Weekly, “Nexstar ABC stations will keep Jimmy Kimmel off the air despite Disney ending suspension,” https://ew.com/nexstar-abc-stations-preempt-jimmy-kimmel-live-11815334, published September 23, 2025.
  

Fast Company, “Jimmy Kimmel’s return monologue gets 7 million YouTube views in a matter of hours,” https://www.fastcompany.com/91409895/jimmy-kimmel-full-monologue-9-23-watch-viral-return-to-abc, published September 24, 2025.